European Council

The European Council is the body of EU heads of state and government that sets the bloc's overall political direction, meeting at least four times a year in Brussels. Its president, Antonio Costa in post since December 2024, chairs summits and represents the EU externally. It is distinct from three similarly named bodies: the Council of the European Union, where ministers vote on legislation; the Council of Europe, a separate 46-member human rights body; and the European Council on Foreign Relations, an independent think tank.

In March 2026 it approved a EUR90bn loan package for Ukraine after Hungary lifted a veto conditioned on Druzhba pipeline repairs , and separately extended asset freezes and travel bans on roughly 2,600 Russia-linked individuals and entities through September . Because that renewal runs on a six-month unanimity cycle, each round hands Hungary a fresh veto opportunity, making Budapest's domestic politics a recurring variable in EU sanctions policy.

On the Iran conflict's energy fallout, the Council has Left member states managing their own responses rather than agreeing a bloc-wide mechanism: an informal summit in Cyprus in April endorsed closer coordination on gas storage without a binding injection requirement , even as several southern and central members pushed for an EU-level windfall tax that has not been adopted.